Occupational health and safety, reintegration management, health promotion: corporate health management (CHM) covers many areas - and is becoming even more important in times of skills shortages and an ageing society.

Dr. Elke Ahlers , Head of "Quality of Work" department Hans-Böckler-Foundation

Workplace health promotion (WHP), one of the pillars of workplace health management (see box), is not mandatory for employers - but it is increasingly being offered: According to a survey of around 3,800 works and staff councils by the Düsseldorf-based Institute for Economic and Social Sciences (WSI) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, 72.2 percent of the companies surveyed offered WHP measures in 2021 - in 2015 the figure was only around 50 percent. However, the larger the company, the more likely it is to offer programmes. According to the survey, 56.6 percent of companies with up to 50 employees offered measures, while the figure for companies with 500 or more employees was an impressive 87 percent. Dr Elke Ahlers of the WSI's Quality of Work Department, who carried out the survey, says: “There is a greater awareness of health issues at management level. This is certainly related to the pandemic. But it also has to do with the fact that we have a shortage of skilled workers, and investing in healthy and satisfied employees reduces absenteeism and strengthens employee loyalty.” At lift and escalator specialist TK Elevator (formerly Thyssen- Krupp Elevator), the issues of health and safety are particularly closely linked. Of its 50,000 employees worldwide, around 4,500 work in Germany, 450 of them at the company's headquarters in Düsseldorf. “Our service technicians for lifts and escalators have a job that requires special measures to ensure that the work can be carried out safely,” explains Hanna Nilsson, Head of Safety and Health Europe-Africa at TK Elevator. “That is why we recognise the critical importance of safety, health protection and preventive health management at work, and why we invest consistently in this area.” For example, the Occupational Safety and Health department organises an annual global action week for everyone on a specific health topic, with various communication materials and video messages from the Executive Board, and local sites are encouraged to contribute their own initiatives. In addition, the larger sites, such as Düsseldorf, provide showers, changing rooms and lockers for cyclists and sports enthusiasts, as well as charging facilities for e-bikes.

Hanna Nilsson, Head of Safety and Health Europe-Africa TK Elevator

Subsidised bicycle leasing, subsidised sports memberships and healthy meals in the company's own restaurant are also part of the BGF benefits. Trainees are also introduced to the subject during a health day during their first week of training. “Mental health is an important focus that is being addressed more frequently - partly due to the pandemic - in order to break the stigma and encourage open dialogue,” says Hanna Nilsson, confirming the relevance of health and safety initiatives at TK Elevator. One example is the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a kind of 24/7 bereavement helpline that offers employees counselling and psychological support when needed. Health promotion can also be a way of differentiating a company from its competitors. Sipgate has created such a unique selling point with its 'zero overtime policy'. The Internet telephony provider from Düsseldorf does not welcome overtime. “We are convinced that 40 hours is the maximum you can work in a week, especially when it comes to knowledge work. That's why it makes sense to avoid overtime altogether,” says Jacqueline Rahemipour, People & Culture Expert at Sipgate. If overtime does occur, the causes and solutions are sought together with the person concerned. One reason could be that they are an 'island of knowledge', i.e. they are the only person who has the expertise on a particular issue. Sipgate also tries to avoid this: “We don't have a one-to-one replacement in case of absence, but the team as a whole should be able to take over the tasks - and this is only possible if everyone has the same level of knowledge,” explains Jacqueline Rahemipour. All of this has a positive impact on the mental health of employees. “In this way, we try to avoid overwork and an excessive focus on performance. Instead, we want to ensure that our employees' expectations and goals are realistic and therefore achievable.” An all-day 'Open Friday' is held every two weeks at the company's premises on Gladbacher Strasse. The open-topic barcamp format has already included physical and mental health on the agenda. Speakers have been invited, workshops held and hands-on stations set up to measure, for example, back health or daily fatigue. “We wanted to make our employees aware of their own needs in order to be healthy at work. It went down really well: It resulted in self-care communities where colleagues meet regularly during working hours to promote health issues for Sipgate.” There are many other preventative measures, such as an on-campus gym or subsidised gym memberships, coaching and support for employees with mentally challenging tasks, or the 'mini club' with a childminder to help with childcare.

CORPORATE HEALTH MANAGEMENT (CHM) CONSISTS OF THREE PILLARS:

Occupational health and safety
This is the 'mandatory part' for employers and employees and is concerned with preventing accidents at work, occupational diseases and work-related health hazards. Risk assessments, which systematically analyse physical and psychological risk factors, are an important tool.

Business integration management (BIM)
This helps companies to reintegrate employees back into the work process after a long period of sickness. Employers have been legally obliged to offer BIM since 2004; participation by employees is voluntary.

Workplace health promotion (WHP)
This pillar, which is not mandatory for employers and employees, includes specific measures to improve health – from exercise programmes to healthy eating, addiction prevention and stress management. Workplace health promotion measures are subsidised by the statutory health insurance funds.

Impressions of ‘Selfcare Open Friday’ at Sipgate.

„We are convinced that 40 hours is the maximum you can work in a week, especially when it comes to knowledge work.“

Jacqueline Rahemipour, People & Culture Expert Sipgate

While workplace health promotion is developing well overall, there is still a lot of catching up to do in another area: “In my opinion, mental health risk assessment in particular is a very important tool in occupational health and safety that is still not used consistently enough by companies. It would allow managers and employees to enter into a dialogue without fear and to find out what the stress factors are in the workplace - and thus to identify the real causes of high sickness and absence rates, high staff turnover or a poor working atmosphere. I hope this will lead to a change in attitude,” says Dr Elke Ahlers. After all, good occupational health management can only work if it is implemented at all three levels - occupational safety, reintegration and health promotion. “Corporate health management has a lot to do with a good corporate culture, including an appreciative management culture and reliable agreements. It is important to work together in a spirit of trust and to have a holistic understanding of the needs of employees,” says Ahlers. •

STATE CAPITAL DÜSSELDORF HONOURED AS 'HEALTHY EMPLOYER 2024/2025’

This seal of the Corporate Health Alliance is certified and awarded by EUPD Research Sustainable Management GmbH. It honours employers who can demonstrate healthy working conditions for employees and firmly implemented health-promoting structures and processes. As part of an audit, the company had to prove that, among other things, occupational safety, health promotion and integration management are continuously implemented and developed. The award is a sign that employee satisfaction is a fundamental part of the corporate culture in the state capital of Düsseldorf.

Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Unsplash, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung , TK Elevator GmbH, Udo Fritsch

Corporate Health = Personal Health